Dam burst kills over 100 in Nigeria

LAGOS - Heavy rain and flooding caused an abrupt dam burst in southwest Nigeria over the weekend, killing 102 people, media reports said Wednesday.

People queue to pass through a make-shift bridge after an heavy flood swept away a connecting bridge in Nigeria's south-west city of Ibadan, 150km (90 miles) north of commercial hub Lagos August 30, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

The Eleyele dam collapsed and several bridges were washed away around the Ibadan town, 150 km north of the economic capital Lagos, AFP quoted Umar Mairiga, an official with the Nigerian Red Cross Society, as saying.

The official said emergency agencies had sent food, blankets and other materials to affected families.

On Sunday, local police said 12 persons were killed by flooding in southwest Nigeria.

Two-thirds of Nigeria's 36 states suffered severe flooding last year, with around half a million people affected.

People pass through a make-shift bridge after an heavy flood swept away a connecting bridge in Nigeria's south-west city of Ibadan, 150km (90 miles) north of commercial hub Lagos August 30, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]